Crochet Essentials: Tools and Materials for Our Patterns

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Every pattern on this site lists its own materials. This page gathers them in one place, says which pattern each item is for and why that size or type matters, and links it to Amazon in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Spain where the same or a close item is sold. We have not tested every brand. Where a store does not carry an item, we link the nearest equivalent and say so.

Hooks

Choose the hook for the fabric the pattern wants, not only for the number on the yarn label. The hook size chart converts between US letters, UK numbers and millimetres.

10 mm, for the Donatella clutch. The Donatella clutch works chunky stretch ribbon yarn on a 10 mm hook. In the US: Clover Amour N/P 10 mm. Elsewhere, the KnitPro 10 mm aluminium hook: UK · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain.

12 mm, for the T-shirt yarn clutch. The T-shirt yarn clutch uses bobbin-type T-shirt yarn on a 12 mm hook. There is no US letter for 12 mm, so go by millimetres. One option in the US: a 12 mm metal hook.

4.5 mm, for the pencil case. The pencil case deliberately uses a hook smaller than its worsted yarn suggests, so the fabric is firm and pencil points cannot poke through. One option in the US: Clover Amour 4.5 mm (size 7).

Yarn

Stretch ribbon yarn, for the Donatella clutch. The video uses Lycra ribbon yarn, which is hard to find on Amazon. A close stretchy substitute is LEREATI stretch ribbon (T-shirt) yarn, 285 g, also sold in UK · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain. Two balls cover the 500 g the pattern asks for. It is not the same yarn, so check your base against the pattern’s measurements as you go.

Worsted-weight cotton, for the pencil case. Cotton holds a crisp box shape; acrylic works but gives a softer case. One option in the US: Lily Sugar’n Cream 100% cotton, worsted.

For baby blankets, the fibre matters more than the brand: see the best yarn for baby blankets.

Needles and stitch markers

A blunt, large-eye yarn needle weaves in ends without splitting the yarn. In the US: Clover Chibi bent-tip set. Elsewhere, a set of large-eye blunt needles: UK · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain.

Locking stitch markers mark the first stitch of a round, and all three patterns use them. They lock shut, so they stay put in chunky yarn: Clover locking markers, also sold in UK · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain.

Bag frames and zippers

A spring frame, for the Donatella clutch. The video uses a 19 cm frame, which Amazon US rarely stocks. The nearest is uxcell 18 cm internal flex frames, 1 cm shorter, also sold in Canada. In the UK and Europe, a 20 cm aluminium click-clack closure is easier to find, 1 cm longer: UK · Germany · France · Italy · Spain. Fit either against your finished opening before you glue anything.

A 22 cm clic-clac frame, for the T-shirt yarn clutch. We have no product link for that exact size yet. Snap any frame open and shut a few times before you start.

A zipper, for the pencil case. An ordinary nylon dress zipper is fine. For the Standard size: YKK 9-inch #3 nylon zippers (US).

Glue

Clear craft adhesive secures the yarn wrapped around a metal frame in the Donatella clutch: E6000 Plus clear craft adhesive, also sold in UK · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain. Keep it out of the hinges and springs, and let it cure for as long as the label says before you use the bag.